Kihara Enshuu (木原 円周 Kihara Enshū?) is a character introduced in Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index as a member of the infamous Kihara Family.
Despite being referred as someone who is not qualifed as a Kihara,[1] she is perhaps the most surprising member of its family introduced during the attack of Academy City on Baggage City. She is arguably the most active and most dangerous Kihara during the attack.
Etymology[]
As part of the queer trend with the Kihara family having given names related to science and mathematics, her given name (円周) can be translated as Circumference.
Appearance[]
She seems to be around middle school age, with black hair buns on both the sides. She wears a pink sweater, a miniskirt, and torn black stockings. In her design, she wears her boots asymmetrically. She also carries several devices that hang down from her neck including a cell phone, a small 1seg TV, and a handheld device.
Personality[]
She is constantly trying to prove herself as a Kihara. Enshuu lacks a certain "Kihara-ness" even as a member of that family, stemming from her isolated imprisonment as a child. Even though she cannot perform the multiplication table, write even katakana, much less kanji she is not stupid, but simply was not taught those things. Even without this fundamental knowledge her mind naturally comprehended science from everything around her. Even for a Kihara without having anyone teach her the border between good and evil, she naturally gravitated for the most evil and pure form of it.[2]
Enshuu displays a timid and naïve demeanor that befits her image of a little girl. Her naïveté is carried when she is doing things that might harm and killing people, as if she does not understand the true context of her actions. She is described by the author as something like a robot, as he initially wanted her to be a robot.[3] This may explain her nature, and why she needs to borrow the thought patterns of other people, most especially the other Kiharas to do actions that would create a satisfactory result for her.
Background[]
At a young age she was kidnapped by scientific rivals claiming to be on the side of justice. In reality, that was nothing more than the justification someone gave for the clichéd revenge they took out of jealousy of the Kihara family that continued to create genius after genius no matter how twisted they might be. Believing Kiharas became "Kihara-like" because they were taught by other Kiharas that if the young Enshuu was taken away from the others while learning all the basic knowledge of being human such as language and customs, she might turn out to be something other than Kihara-like except her captor left her alone in solitude.[2]
Without being taught by anyone, the much too competent Kihara Enshuu continued to play with science. Just by being a Kihara she would love the concept of science with all her being and began coming up with complex designs from ordinary materials that were piled up around her room. Eventually she thought of a way to destroy her prison, which she carried it out perfectly. She felt no hatred toward her captor, but merely wanted to show off what she could do with the inspiration around her. So one day the chains that should have never broken from the strength of a young girl broke as if they had melted and the person’s body was discovered later all but the head had been transformed into something like wax.[2]
It is unknown what have happened to her later, but it can be presumed that she returned to the Kihara family, though could not reintegrate with them as she was not raised as one and lack their trademark "Kihara-ness".
Chronology[]
Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index[]
Baggage City Arc[]
- Main article: Baggage City Arc
Along with her other relatives, she invades Baggage City in order to destroy it. She first appears in the control room for the supply of hot water in Baggage City, interrupting Kumokawa Maria and Oumi Shuri's short quarrel with a bazooka, though it was merely a distraction, and Maria was quickly knocked out by the empty bazooka being used as a blunt weapon. Enshuu then shows herself before a fearful Shuri, and hither, Enshuu displays her control over the computers to show her queer graphs, whither she quickly absorbs the information described therein. Referencing Kihara Amata, Enshuu attacks Shuri with quick and smooth movements, and mimics his attack pattern. Thinking quickly, Shuri tries to throw metal spikes on the floor to slow her down. However, Enshuu did not slow down, she kicks one of her metal spikes towards her, which naturally opened Shuri's lower defenses as she tries to defend her face, and allowed Enshuu to kick a metal spike into her gut. Enshuu charges towards Shuri, avoiding the spikes, and uses Shuri's kunai against her.[1]
However, before Enshuu could pierce her, a man in white and helmet attacked Enshuu, knocking away the Shuri's kunai. This forces Enshuu to attack the man in white instead in the face, but he kicked her to throw her off balance. After he tells her that she is not qualified to be a Kihara, Enshuu asked his name, though he just states his objective: to save the girls; to which Enshuu states that she wishes to harm the girls. Activating her graphs again, she references several Kihara names, to which the man immediately understands her ability. After, referencing Kihara Yuiitsu, Enshuu charges towards to attack him, though, he kindly responds to this by producing a convex shaped landmine, and detonates it, forcing Enshuu to retreat.[1]
She reappears humming to herself, after scattering Academy City military equipment on the floor as a trap with grenades. Both Maria and Shuri together find one of the places Enshuu left the traps, though Shuri was able to disable one trap with little trouble, discerning that what Enshuu has left was useless. Meanwhile, Enshuu discovers that one has tampered her traps in another area, where she hopes she has at least snag some poor soul in the 20 areas she set-up the traps.[4]
Kihara Enshuu surveys the strangely abandoned residential areas of Baggage City alone.
She reappears walking around the residential areas of Baggage City in the outside, baffled by the apparent fact that the population of Baggage City has somehow disappeared, after mulling on a couple of theories as to what happened, Enshuu decides to just blow everything up, though vetoes it as Gremlin might survive, and deciding that it would be best to thoroughly kill Gremlin instead.[5]
Enshuu later meets up with Kihara Byouri, and helps her out of the trash compactor that she fell into after her battle with Marian Slingeneyer. Byouri takes one of Enshuu's phone as so she can open a port to Academy City, as so she can receive permission for her powers. Here, she grows wings from her knees and thighs allowing her to walk. Here, Enshuu tells Byouri that she saw someone who looks like Kihara Kagun. Byouri later lectures Enshuu on the nature of the Kiharas, and after Enshuu turns her back upon her. Byouri takes this opportunity to attack her, reasoning that it may bring out a better Kihara if she is loss. Surprisingly, Enshuu notices this and uses the thought pattern of Kamijou Touma to attack her, Enshuu later leaves her with bloodied hands.[6] With that behind her, she makes her way to the hotel and the room where Kihara Ransuu and Útgarða-Loki were fighting in, and discovers their bodies lying on the floor. Here, she vetoes helping Ransuu and instead begins creating an agar to cultivate microbes to create moldy air, as a biological weapon to eradicate the population of Baggage City.[7]
She later comes upon Baggage City's plant factory area. Here, hiding in one room is Ayles Bigant hiding from the terror that had befallen Baggage City. When Enshuu tries to open his hiding place, she discovers that it is locked, to which Ayles kindly responds by preparing to shoot whoever opens it. Enshuu then tries to find a way to open the door the most Kihara-esque as possible, by using a large crane. After checking the Echo Filter device in her smartphone and discovers Ayles whereabouts. Using one of her phones, she remotely controls the cranes to use one of the plant factories as a substitute for a wrecking ball, and slams it on the door, crushing Ayles, who writhes in agonizing pain, she ends his miserable fate with the shotgun he was use using. Afterwards, she searched for blacklights in the container, gathered a few, and irradiated the microbes with the light for them to mutate, taking an hour for her to get the desired output.[8]
Saflee Opendays and Kumokawa Maria, by the advice of the man in white, came to the area where the plant factories were to stop Enshuu from initiating her plan to spread her biological weapon.[9] Knowing that they need only to destroy the transformers that changes the voltage and amperes of the power source provided by Baggage City to power the plant factories that Enshuu is cultivating the microbes. Finding them, they discover one of the containers line there open up, and cometh Enshuu, anticipating the weakness of the plant factories and her plan. Referencing Kihara Amata again, Saflee and Maria begin their fight against Enshuu, as the microbes continue getting irradiated.[10]
Charging towards her in a blizzard, Enshuu once again uses her graphs, and tosses hot tea towards them, forcing them to dodge it. However, with Maria's momentum, she tried to hit Enshuu in the head, though she was able to parry it with the can that used to contain her tea, which altered Maria's course. With that opening she pulled out a multipurpose lighter, and set aflame one of the containers that she had put oil on, rapidly melting the ice that formed between the containers that were piled on top of each other. There, the containers collapsed, which Enshuu further caused by setting aflame other containers. Using her remotely controlled helicopter-like toy she was able to gather information and set-up a small space that would not be affected by the collapse of the containers. Suddenly, Maria comes in and had her leg on top of her head, apparently managing to weave athletically through the falling containers. This forces Enshuu out the safe zone she set-up, and allowed Maria to take the zone for herself. Angered by her actions and her talking about Kihara Kagun, Enshuu references several Kihara thought patterns at the same time. Maria steps outside of the safe zone, and kicked Enshuu on the cheek, which made Enshuu collapse on the snow. Enshuu, injured, tries to retreat from her. Here, Maria tells the reasons why Enshuu lost, she tells her that she will not become what she have analyzed, which means that her personality will be the one influencing the combat patterns she tries to mimic. Enshuu tries to use Kihara Kagun's personality but is shut down quickly by Maria, punching her in the gut. Enshuu tries to use Kamijou Touma, and then Kumokawa Maria's combat pattern, but this simply irritates her, and Maria simply beats her down every time she changes her combat patterns. Here, she tells Enshuu that she cannot win, and breaks down, saying that as a Kihara she shoud win. Enshuu then turns her multipurpose lighter into something akin to a flamethrower and charged forward, finally using the Kihara she knows fully well, herself. She is however, mercilessly kicked down into the snow.[11]
Maria then tells her the other reason why Enshuu has lost, she tells her that she used herself to use those combat patters, a part of herself was shown when she used them, and with this Maria was able to analyze her combat pattern. Angered, Enshuu increase the output of her multipurpose flamethrower, despite the heat probably burning her as well. Out of pure instinct as a Kihara, she charges forward with her flamethrower. In kind, Maria responded and attacked her, Enshuu however persists. But then, Enshuu's hand was then pierced by a kunai, Oumi Shuri and Saflee Opendays has arrived, and with this opening Maria knees Enshuu in the temple. Enshuu is later tied up by them.[11]
She is referred by Kihara Yuiitsu as lost at the end of the arc, though since she was simply tied down by Maria and the others, and assuming that the real Kamijou Touma's arrival allowed her to survive the influence of Dáinsleif, it can be assumed she survived.[12]
Magic God Othinus Arc[]
- Main article: Magic God Othinus Arc
In the final recreation of the world by Othinus created specifically to break Touma's spirit, known as the Version_Omega world in-text, where several characters from the original world have been "saved" or have not experienced great tragedy, the Kiharas, as there are apparently no dark experiments in the perfect world's Academy City, chafe at the peace. This exemplified with Enshuu and Byouri's conversation, both alive in the perfect world. Byouri says that as a Kihara peace is so boring. Enshuu replies that it doesn't matter if it is good or evil as long as they can play around with science they might as well live in a way that fits this place (the perfect world). Byouri then talks to Enshuu about a project they have been asked to do: research and develop a new standards for garbage disposal. Byouri comments on how that job won't even take them three days to finish.[13]
Salome Arc[]
- Main article: Salome Arc
At some point following Baggage City, Aleister Crowley used the Archetype Controller on Enshuu to make her confine herself in a prison, in order to avoid the risk of her emulating Kihara Noukan and decoding the secrets of the Anti-Art Attachment.[14]
Following Noukan's defeat at the hands of Kamisato Kakeru, during which he sustained mortal injuries and had to be placed in cold sleep, Kihara Yuiitsu visited Enshuu and asked her to assist her by emulating Noukan, so she could get a clear idea of the person she had to surpass.[15] Yuiitsu brought Enshuu with her to help analyze the damaged components of the Anti-Art Attachment. in order to learn more about Noukan and the enemy who defeated him. After attempting to emulate Noukan, Enshuu mentioned that there were similarities to when she tried to read Kihara Kagun and how it felt like that there was a link to the 'outside' rather than unreadable files within. Afterwards, Yuiitsu told an uneasy Enshuu that she could emulate her if she was worried. Enshuu tried to do so but immediately lost consciousness.[14]
Abilities[]
Enshuu is a Kihara, therefore she has an apparently unnatural aptitude towards science. This is displayed by her pragmatic use of mold used by Kihara Ransuu to try and create a biological weapon to eradicate Baggage City's population.[7] She also has several gadgets she uses in several ways, such as Echo Filter, remote controlling of heavy machinery,[8] ultraviolet light[4] or a helicopter-like toy linked to her phone.[11]
She also carries a special modified multipurpose lighter, with a trigger like a gun and the opening located 30 cm out from where it's held. The lighter can can produce a flame like a flamethrower for at least 2 meters for 30 continuous seconds.[11]
Thought pattern mimicking[]
To compensate for her lacking "Kihara-ness", Enshuu uses the gadgets she carries with her to display graphs and other information that displays one or more particular thought pattern. She most often uses Kihara thought and combat patterns, though it is displayed that she is able to use thought patterns other than her family, such as Kamijou Touma and Kumokawa Maria. She does not mimic the patterns perfectly however, as her actions, no matter what pattern she uses, is still subject to her own pattern.[11]
For the most part of the 4th NT novel volume, Enshuu possesses information 5000 members of Kihara family, as well as that of Kamijou Touma and also to copy Kumokawa Maria. Enshuu uses Kihara Amata's thought patterns in most of her decisions.
Character Art Designs[]
Design Evolution[]
There were little problems with Haimura in her design, due to her status as someone who is not a proper Kihara, she was designed to look like any moe Index character.
Gallery[]
Quotes[]
- (To Oumi Shuri, NT4): "Umm, I really don’t like this at all. It would be best if we could resolve this without fighting, but…as a Kihara I have no choice."
- (To Bersi, ibid): "I'm gonna rattle all the carbon dioxide in your body and burst all the fucking blood vessels in your body!! …Now that was nice and Kihara-like!"
- (ibid): "Okay, then! This exciting attraction that takes contestants from the audience has begun!! Now, will anyone be able to achieve victory and take home the prize!?"
- (ibid): "Understood, Touma-oniichan.”
- (To Kumokawa Maria, ibid): "Do you think you have defeated the Kiharas just because you pushed back Amata-ojisan? Ransuu-ojisan, Gensei-ojiisan, Byouri-obasan, Nayuta-chan, Yuiitsu-oneechan, Jouryuu-oniichan, Konshou-oneechan, Chokuryuu-kun, Doutai-ojisan, Kagun-ojisan, Bunri-oniichan, Sousai-chan, Kenbi-obasan, Bunshi-oniichan, Therestina-obasan, Kouten-oneechan. I may indeed lack something as a Kihara, but I am supported by the combat patterns of 5000 Kiharas!! Mere undergrowth that has not taken a step into the darkness of Academy City cannot hope to break this great tree!!"
- (To Kumokawa Maria, ibid): "Time to dance in the flames, you whore!"
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Main.12
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Sub.29
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Afterword
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Sub.15
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Sub.19
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Period.21
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Sub.23
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Sub.27
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Sub.26
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Sub.28
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Main.30
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04 Profound Destruction
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09 Chapter 7 Part 2
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 15 Between the Lines 2
- ↑ Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 15 Between the Lines 1
